Advancements in technology have enabled factory applications to become partially or completely automated. For example, applications that once required workers to place themselves proximate to heavy machinery and other various hazardous conditions, can now be completed at a safe distance from such hazards. Furthermore, imperfections associated with human action have been minimized through employment of highly precise machines. Many of such factory devices supply manufacturing data to databases that are accessible by system/process/project managers on a factory floor. For instance, sensors can detect a number of times a particular machine has completed an operation given a set amount of time, and can deliver data to a processing unit relating to system alarms. Thus, a factory automation system can review collected data and automatically and/or semi-automatically schedule maintenance of a device, replacement of a device, and other maintenance procedures.
In such settings, various units and controllers can execute control programs, softwares or routines, to measure process variables or inputs that represent state of controlled processes and/or effectuate outputs associated with control of such process. For example, an output module can interface directly with a controlled process by providing an output from memory to an actuator such as a motor, drive, valve, solenoid, and the like. In distributed control systems, controller hardware configuration can be facilitated by separating the industrial controller into a number of control elements, each of which can perform a different function. Particular control modules needed for the control task can be connected together on a common backplane within a rack and/or through a network or other communications medium. Various control modules can also be spatially distributed along a common communication link in several locations. Data can be communicated with these remote modules over a common communication link, or network, wherein any or all modules on the network communicate via a common and/or an industrial communications protocol. Moreover, units within an industrial system can communicate with each other, with software modules residing therein, or in other control systems and/or with systems and/or applications outside of a control environment (e.g., business related systems and applications), for example.
Effective management is an important objective for industrial system operations, wherein choosing an appropriate development lifecycle process for the software implementation becomes crucial. For example, various activities in an industrial process can be derived from such lifecycle process. At the same time, continuously changing design or specification requirements of the development cycle poses difficulties and major problems. For example, searching for the current program version, changes between versions or investigating the reasons for such changes (when, why and by whom) can add up to significant overhead and increase risk of operation.
Typically, for such lifecycle of software in industrial plants it is important to gather and agree on design/processing requirements that are fundamental to a successful implementation. Such does not necessarily imply that all requirements need to be fixed before any implementation design, or coding among various processes is done—yet it is important for the industrial processes to implement what actually needs to be performed at each stage. The cyclical interaction among various units/controllers for reaching desired processing outcome can become a complex process, wherein the division of tasks and activities are carried out by generating documents/items that need to be timely shared among the various units at various stages of the processes. In particular, during operation it can become difficult to identify what is the proper version of the software and/or product requirement that should drive the design process. Accordingly, the units/teams involved can squander resources to determine a proper state such as a proper version of software to be employed. Without a proper and unique source for software and/or documentation identification, confusion and misunderstandings occur that can lead to lost productivity, and poor customer experience.